Acton-Boxborough grad Joey Flannery to play in The Basketball Tournament

Stephen Tobey stobey@wickedlocal.com @stobeywlsports

Monday

Jul 9, 2018 at 8:53 PMJul 9, 2018 at 8:53 PM

Joey Flannery and his D3 teammates are playing in The Basketball Tournament for a chance to win a piece of the $2 million winner-take-all jackpot that goes to the team that wins the championship.

They’re looking forward to a chance to play on national television and perhaps market themselves for opportunities to play professionally.

They also want to make a point.

“Playing in this tournament is kind of a no-brainer,” said Flannery, a 2012 Acton-Boxborough graduate. “It’s a chance to join up with other former Division III players and show what we can do.”

D3 begins play in the 72-team, single-elimination tournament on Saturday, July 14, facing Sons of Westwood, a team of former UCLA players, at Cal State-Los Angeles. The game will be shown live on ESPN3, one of ESPN’s online platforms at 9:15 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

The Basketball Tournament, also known as TBT, is open to anyone over 18 who is not currently playing in the NBA. There are former NBA players (Sons of Westwood’s roster includes Matt Barnes, a 14-year NBA veteran), players from the G League, players who played professionally in Europe and former college players. Fourteen players from last year’s tournament signed NBA contracts.

The brackets are broken up into four regions, Northeast, Midwest, South and West. There are 18 teams in each bracket. Nine teams in each bracket got in as a result of a fan vote. D3 was one of those teams. There are four at-large teams in each bracket. Four teams in each bracket bought their way into the tournament for $5,000 and the defending champion in each region is guaranteed a slot.

Flannery, who was a two-time Division III player of the year at Babson, helped the Beavers win their first national championship during his senior year of 2017.

Last season, he played for CB Myrtia in Spain. Flannery averaged 18.7 minutes in 30 games, scoring 8.2 points per game. He also totaled 25 assists and 93 rebounds.

“I’ve become a better defensive player,” Flannery said. “I’ve developed my all-around game and adjusted to the speed of it.”

Said D3 head coach Michael Rejniak, “He adds a very high basketball IQ. In the [2017] national championship game, you saw the block he made [at the end of the game]. He brings a certain toughness. Since he left Babson, he’s become even better. His game is more explosive.”

A Springfield College graduate, Rejniak has coached at the Division III level for 15 years. His most recent stop is Vassar College, where he was an assistant coach last winter.

“We have the best of the best of Division III,” Rejniak said. “We reached out to a lot of former players. This is a chance for us to showcase the talent that is in Division III.”

D3’s assistant coach, Matthew Droney, played with Flannery at Babson.

The team went through a training camp on the weekend of June 30-July 1 at the Belmont Hill School. Everyone leaves for Los Angeles on Thursday, July 12.

“We all feel really good,” Flannery said. “It’s going to be a challenge in the first round, but we’re looking forward to represent Division III.”

After the tournament, Flannery will weigh his options before deciding what to do next season.

“Spain was a great experience,” he said. “I’m glad I did it. I’m still trying to figure out my next move, whether it’s playing or coaching.”

There is a chance that Flannery’s play in TBT may give him some more opportunities to play somewhere.